A great op ed by the super in Hartford, Steven Adamowski, whom I've heard great things about, giving well-deserved kudos to Achievement First:

When I took over as superintendent of the Hartford Public Schools in 2006, one of the first things I did was to call Dacia Toll, the president of Achievement First, to ask her to bring her high-performing school model to my district.

I made the call for two reasons: Connecticut had passed legislation that permitted public-school districts to enter into collaborative agreements with charter-management organizations, and Achievement First was one network operator that was well known for providing excellent schools in high-poverty areas. Most importantly, Achievement First had a track record of enabling its students to close the achievement gap.

Under the terms of the arrangement, Hartford Public Schools provided a physical plant, utilities, custodial and other support services, while Achievement First provided the instruction and operated the school according to its successful model. As with all schools in our portfolio, Hartford sets the neighborhood attendance area and claims the school's results on state assessments.

The results have been nothing short of astounding and rewarding. Achievement First now operates two high-performing schools in Hartford that serve 600 students.